Animal hopple



Jul 3, 1923. 1 ,460,919

J. w. PRIEST ANIMAL HOPPLE Filed Oct. 26. 1921 Patented July 3, 1923.

., NITED STATES 11 JOHN. w. rnmsr, or sorsn, mane.

ANiMAL HoPrL Application filed October as, 1921. Serial no. 316,510.

provements in Animal Hopples, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple hopple for use in connection with cattle or stock and more particularly cows during the milking, operation to prevent a fractious cow from kicking and either injuring the operator or overturning the bucket, and more particularly to provide a device for this purpose which can be applied with facility and which will not serve to irritate or injure the animal or render the same restive, and which can be repeatedly used without chafing or causing sores; and with these objects in view the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment Figure 1 isv a view in perspective of a.

hopple embodying the invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are detail views'respec tively in side and front elevation of the leg engaging hooks. I i

The device consists essentially of leg engaging hooks 10 and 11 connected'by'a chain 12, the hook 10 being terminally connected with the chain and the hook 11 having a running engagement therewith and therefore being adapted for adjustment relative to the length of the chain to suit the'position of the animal or the distancebetween' .the right hind leg and kick forward therewith will be effectively resisted. The end of the chain opposite to the terminally attached hook 10 is preferably provided with a ring 13 merely as a convenient means of handling the same and preventing the detachment of the hook 11.

Both of the hooks are of looped form and are preferably constructed of wire or rod, so that the intermediate or jaw portion of each hook which engages the leg of, the

animal is smooth and unbroken with no tendency tochafe or cause injury to the hide. The terminal hook 10 is provided with a curved jaw 14: of which the sidev mem-,

bers are spaced apart and are connected by TENT l FFI 1 a substantially straight transverse member v 15 adapted to lie in the crease or angle'beleg of the animal, and the side arms of 'the hook converge toward their free ends which are coiledto provide eyes16 to engage the ring 17 by which they are connected with 4 the end of the chain.

The hook 11 has a jaw 18 corresponding] in shape with that described as hook 10, but

the arms 1 9 thereof while arranged in a rear-,

wardly convergent relation are connected'at their extremities by being intertwisted-as shown at 20 to form a grip or handle to be grasped by the operator in positioning the, v jaw on the leg of the animal. The advantage;

of this construction of-grip is that should the animal kick while the hook is being- 13, same out of the hand of the operator, it will I not be likely to cause injuryto the fingers. I

The side arins of the hook 11 are drawn toj i gether adjacent to'the intertwisted or grip portion 20 toreceive alink of the chain flatwise so that when the-chain is forced up into this portion of the device itwill be locked against movement-through the hook and the hooks will be maintained at a fixed form an opening through-which the chain Wlll move freely. Therefore in applying 1 the device to the legs of the animal, after positioning the hook 1 0, thegrip portion of 1 the hook 11 may be grasped'between-the finger and thumb of'one hand oflthe op-' j eratorwhile theother hand holds the ring 13, and the hook 11 may then be"moved longitudinally of the chain toward thehook lO'and engaged with theotherleg of the animal. When such arrangement has been effected a slight lateral movement OfIthei M chain to bring a selected link'thereof "into the seat 22 represented by the portions of the side arms of the hook adjacent to the grip 20 will lock thehook in its adjusted terminal hook, and a second hook having a running engagementwith'the chain lend adapted to be locked at any desired point throughout the length thereof, the running hook being of looped construction Wi'th'iear- Wardly convergent arms bulged outwardly to form an openingthrough which the links of the chain may pass freely, the arms beyondthe bulged ,portions being arranged in pa ztllelyis n to provide a seatfOi' SeIected 10 links and the extremities being inter-twisted to form a rigid handle. I

l-n-testimony whereof he affixes his signature.

: JOHN W. PRIEST, w 

